Hostage crisis shows al-Qaida is still active

Published: Saturday, January 19, 2013 at 5:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, January 18, 2013 at 6:41 p.m.

The death of al-Qaida and likeminded terrorist organizations is highly exaggerated, and events in Africa prove it.

On Wednesday, a rogue leader of al-Qaida and his minions grabbed dozens of hostages in Algeria, a North African nation. The hostages were workers at a natural-gas field, and several were American.

On Friday, the fate of many of the hostages was unclear. The Associated Press reports that as many as 32 foreign workers in Algeria are unaccounted for. Reports also said Algerian soldiers killed some of the terrorists, while some hostages were somehow killed too. The fate of the Americans is unknown at this point.

The reason for the hostage grab was the recent French incursion in Mali, a west-central African nation and neighbor to Algeria. Al-Qaida-linked radicals have been in the process of taking over Mali, and have had success in the northern half, where they imposed Islamic law.

French officials were asked to help the existing Mali government. France and Mali have close ties, as France controlled Mali from the 1800s until 1960.

French troops and planes jetted in on Jan. 11, and before long, al-Qaida's allies throughout the world realized their most promising front was in real jeopardy. This is what caused the hostage crisis in Algeria, also home to a large number of al-Qaida militants.

The leader of the militants is someone al-Qaida doesn't really like, because he is also a thief, thug and kidnapper. His name is Moktar Belmoktar, and he is part of al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb.

The Islamic Maghreb is a wide area of Africa that stretches from Timbuktu (that's where Timbuktu actually is, in western Mali) to the Sudan, and from northern Africa to northern Nigeria. Obviously, African, European and U.S. officials cannot let al-Qaida take over this gigantic portion of Africa. The United States should not even tolerate al-Qaida finding a new haven there.

Despite the claim made repeatedly by the campaign of President Barack Obama last year that al-Qaida "was on the run" and decimated, its ranks have grown — in north Africa, far from Iraq and Afghanistan.

None of this is news to the State Department. On Sept. 11, 2012, radicals with some al-Qaida ties in Benghazi, Libya, attacked the U.S. consulate, killing the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other U.S. citizens.

Throughout 2012, al-Qaida sympathizers fought with the government of Mali to take over that nation. When Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney brought up the growing security threat posed in Mali at one of the debates, he was ridiculed in some quarters. But now those chickens have come home to roost.

A new, bloodier chapter in northern Africa has been written by al-Qaida, and this time it could involve the deaths of American, Arabic, British and Japanese workers employed in Algeria.

Al-Qaida and radical Islamic terrorism is growing anew in northern Africa and it is time for the United States and its allies to act with more vigor. It is time for the president to present a plan to the American people and allies that will snuff out this threat in Africa before it grows into a larger threat to global security and stability.

<p>The death of al-Qaida and likeminded terrorist organizations is highly exaggerated, and events in Africa prove it. </p><p>On Wednesday, a rogue leader of al-Qaida and his minions grabbed dozens of hostages in Algeria, a North African nation. The hostages were workers at a natural-gas field, and several were American. </p><p>On Friday, the fate of many of the hostages was unclear. The Associated Press reports that as many as 32 foreign workers in Algeria are unaccounted for. Reports also said Algerian soldiers killed some of the terrorists, while some hostages were somehow killed too. The fate of the Americans is unknown at this point. </p><p>The reason for the hostage grab was the recent French incursion in Mali, a west-central African nation and neighbor to Algeria. Al-Qaida-linked radicals have been in the process of taking over Mali, and have had success in the northern half, where they imposed Islamic law. </p><p>French officials were asked to help the existing Mali government. France and Mali have close ties, as France controlled Mali from the 1800s until 1960. </p><p>French troops and planes jetted in on Jan. 11, and before long, al-Qaida's allies throughout the world realized their most promising front was in real jeopardy. This is what caused the hostage crisis in Algeria, also home to a large number of al-Qaida militants. </p><p>The leader of the militants is someone al-Qaida doesn't really like, because he is also a thief, thug and kidnapper. His name is Moktar Belmoktar, and he is part of al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb. </p><p>The Islamic Maghreb is a wide area of Africa that stretches from Timbuktu (that's where Timbuktu actually is, in western Mali) to the Sudan, and from northern Africa to northern Nigeria. Obviously, African, European and U.S. officials cannot let al-Qaida take over this gigantic portion of Africa. The United States should not even tolerate al-Qaida finding a new haven there. </p><p>Despite the claim made repeatedly by the campaign of President Barack Obama last year that al-Qaida "was on the run" and decimated, its ranks have grown &mdash; in north Africa, far from Iraq and Afghanistan. </p><p>None of this is news to the State Department. On Sept. 11, 2012, radicals with some al-Qaida ties in Benghazi, Libya, attacked the U.S. consulate, killing the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other U.S. citizens. </p><p>Throughout 2012, al-Qaida sympathizers fought with the government of Mali to take over that nation. When Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney brought up the growing security threat posed in Mali at one of the debates, he was ridiculed in some quarters. But now those chickens have come home to roost. </p><p>A new, bloodier chapter in northern Africa has been written by al-Qaida, and this time it could involve the deaths of American, Arabic, British and Japanese workers employed in Algeria. </p><p>Al-Qaida and radical Islamic terrorism is growing anew in northern Africa and it is time for the United States and its allies to act with more vigor. It is time for the president to present a plan to the American people and allies that will snuff out this threat in Africa before it grows into a larger threat to global security and stability.</p>